Sparrow
by Maria-Pipkin
Summary: Tenzou finds out that he has a son, Tsunade sets him on a mission to pick him up. Who is this mysterious boy? Sakura sets out to help her friend in need, but can he help himself? This is the story about Tenzou's legacy and the next generation of Konoha!
1. The news

**Hi everyone!**

I'm totally new here on , and a huge Naruto fan : )

I'm also an artist at Deviantart, and it's my great passion to create beliverble Naruto fancharacters that rightfully holds a place in the Naruto universe, and in (hopefully, eventually) in people's hearts. I've focused quite a bit on Tenzou(Yamato) since he's one of my favorite characters, and I really think he needs more credit.

Since I'm from Denmark, and not an English speaking country, I've already worked hard to achieve the level of writing I have now - which, with your help, I am hoping to improve! Now, without further ado, let's begin the story.

**Disclaimer:** Universe, characters and original concept is the property of Masashi Kishimoto - however I do own this fic.

**Sparrow**

_Chapter 1 – The news_

"You send for me, Hokage-sama?" Tenzou was standing in the doorway of the Hokage office, wearing only his standard jounin attire – minus the green vest. Groggy and sleep-deprived he had dragged his feet to the Hokage tower when Shizune had sent for him. "It's only 3 in the morning" _why did she have to drag me over here anyway?_

Yawning and rubbing his dark eyes, he tried his best to look the least bit presentable, as he knew well of Tsunade's legendary temper.

"I have quite the news for you Tenzou" she began, leaning forward on her elbows with a grim expression plastered on her face. The whole of her posture told him that this was going to be really bad.

"I have a mission for you" she said, as she fidgeted with a small cup of hot tea. "I want you to pick up a certain someone…" her words seemed to trail off a little as she turned her gaze around to look at the village from behind the massive windows in the office. "His mother died recently, and I have no choice but to bring him here". Still a little distracted by his own mind screaming at him to get some sleep, once more he stretched his slender frame to will away his thoughts of rest.

He tried to focus, as he calmly walked over to stand beside her chair. In a slightly irritated tone, while looking out at the thick blackness of the night, he spoke out, "If I might ask Hokage-sama, who is this person and why did you chose me for a simple escort mission?" _Might as well have picked a genin team… I just got home from a month long recon!_ The tone of his voice, wasn't lost on Tsunade, and her expression changed from grim, to dead serious.

She slammed her hands down on her desk, putting a neat dent in the, already, abused wooden furniture. "WILL YOU WAKE UP!! I don't need that attitude of yours right now, when did you get like this anyway!?" she was fuming now, as she turned to give him a piercing look. Her eyes seemed to almost burn on him as he visibly stiffened and unconsciously took a small step backwards. Tsunade sighed heavily, and seemed to try and gather her mental strength. "She was a close friend, and I hadn't spoken with her in years, but you of all people should know who I'm speaking of, seriously Tenzou when did you get so dense?" For a split-second he noticed the sadness, that once again, clouded her eyes, as it quickly turned to furious anger, and once again he was on the receiving end of a fierce glare.

He gritted his teeth, inwardly regretting his behavior that had seemed so appropriate just a moment ago.

Silence fell in the large office for a moment, before it suddenly dawned on him, what, and who, she was talking about.

As he slowly sank to his knees, she stood up beside his crumbling body.

"Is…is this true? Is she really…?" He didn't have to say it out loud. A shaky breath left her throat as she closed her eyes for a second, "she was killed on an A-rank mission…I only got word half an hour ago, I figured you should be the first to know this".

She paused again, taking a deep breath before relaying the final news to him.

"The one I want you to pick up... is your son"

She tried to reach out to him, but was abruptly stopped by the floorboards cringing around her wrist. "Don't". It came out harsh and she could sense the intense waves of anger coming of him. This was just too much, the one love he had in his life had been killed, and somewhere out there, a boy - his own flesh and blood, was living without any of his parents.

Although she was angry with the way he'd so blatantly used his signature jutsu on her, she couldn't help but feel utter sympathy for his loss.

"I... I can't belive this... she never told me she was... and she died on a mission!?"

"She was shinobi, you knew there were a chance, this could happen".

"It doesn't make it any easier does it? You were the one to send her on that mission" he said in a shaky voice, fists clenched tighly together, still trying to keep himself from emotionally exploding in her face.

"She belonged to this village – a shinobi of fine status, we'll have her name carved on the memorial" she was trying to ease the loss a bit, he realized.

He let out a loud sigh, "Tsunade-sama, she ran away once, and that was my fault, don't you think she ever told my boy about me? Somehow…I don't think it's such a good idea letting me get him, I don't even have the time for someone else. ANBU takes too much of my days to care for a child.

"Tenzou, he's your son, you're the only one who should be sent on this mission." A pause, "besides, I can take you off ANBU for good if that's how you feel…maybe you'd benefit of the same status as Kakashi" she smiled a little and spoke softly, allowing him the time to let the words sink in.

He mentally picked up the pieces. Maybe being ex-ANBU like his sempai wouldn't be so bad, although he didn't relish the thought of having to train genin, which was something he'd have to accustom himself to. "Of course I have to be the one to pick up my own kid but…do you honestly think he'll even accept this place? " His eyes saddened as he felt a pang of guilt pierce him like a knife to the gut. For a moment he sat at the office floor, trying to remember her smell, her smile and the love they once had for each other. At last, a small smile was tugging on the corner of his lips, "you know…she really hated me for staying here – all she ever wanted was a simple life. "I loved her, but to see her getting angry at me like that? I had to let her go, she knew my duty as ANBU was to stay here in Konoha - she knew I couldn't leave."

His features softened as he spoke, and he raised his head in renewed determination as he looked her directly in the eyes, "when do I start the mission?"

She smiled in return, happy to see a little of the old Tenzou looking back at her with a determination in his eyes once again. "Right now", as the words left her mouth, she tossed him the mission scroll, and he grabbed it the last second, before he poofed away in a cloud of gray smoke.

**2 hours later**

Tenzou was walking down the streets of Konoha. An uneasy feeling had rooted in his stomach, and he couldn't help but wonder, _is he really going to live here? How will we get along? ..._as he thought about it, more questions flooded his mind until he almost felt like going mad.

He was so occupied with his own thoughts that he never realized what, or who exactly it was that he'd bumped into. "Heeey! watch where you're goi…Yamato-taicho?" He instantly recognized the fiery female voice, and it finally dawned on him, just who he'd crashed into. "Sakura-chan? …I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that…I was just" …his face fell for a moment, as sadness crossed his features. "I was just thinking about something…what are you doing out here this early anyway?" he sighed heavily as she gave him a worried look. "I just had to help with an emergency down at the hospital, what's this about, can you tell me taicho?" silence fell on both of them for a moment, before he sighed again and turned his gaze down to the ground, "It's ok Sakura-chan, I…I can handle this…" She gave him an indignant look and, not believing him one bit, turned to grab him by the collar of his neck, and marched towards her apartment.

All the way he protested, but she remained entirely unfazed by his pleas for letting the whole thing go.

Only once he'd been dragged up the 4 story building to her small apartment at the very top, did she finally let him go. She'd put him in the hallway, and had positioned herself in front of the door. _No escaping out of this I guess…_

He looked up at her as she stood there, looking something akin to disappointed and defiantly crossing her arms across her chest. "Yamato-taicho please, what's this about? I'm your friend, and you won't even talk to me." She sat down next to him in the small hallway, "please taicho…you can tell me, you know that – did you forget the promise we made?" He sighed again, his face contorted in mental pain and exhaustion; the way he held himself right at her mention of this promise, spoke volumes of his feelings towards this particular topic "No…I didn't Sakura-chan, I just didn't want to trouble you, that's all. It's just that… I've got a lot on my mind lately and… you really shouldn't have to listen to my rambling…" he gave a strained smile. She smiled warmly back at him, "It's alright; I wouldn't be so worried about you if I didn't already want to hear what's on your mind, ne taicho?"

"Sakura", it was his turn to scrounge at her. "You know my name's not Yamato, and we're not on duty right now; just call me Tenzou, ok?" Sakura couldn't help but giggle a little at the pout he was sending her way; he always had an almost comical look when he pouted like that.

"Alright Yam…eeer…Tenzou – sorry, it's just a bad habit, we were a team for such a long time before you could tell us your real name, and I kind of just got used to calling you Yamato. But don't try to wiggle your way out of this! What has gotten you so down? you look like you've got the whole world against you!"

"Well…" he stressed the word a bit, as if trying his best to stay calm, "you might not like this, but… I have a son, he couldn't be more than 6 years old by now…his mother died recently, and now I have to go and pick him up in the Flower country where he's staying with some family."

Sakura was a bit shocked to say the least, she hadn't expected any information like this, and she furrowed her brows while closing her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts. _'Who'd had thought that someone, like him…'_ her train of thought was abruptly stopped by Tenzou gently tapping her shoulder. "Are you alright Sakura-chan?"

"huh?", was the only response for a second before she looked up at him again, "I…I'm sorry Tenzou, I didn't know your partner had died – let alone that you guys had a kid…" she looked apolitically at him, trying to strain and ease her own emotions.

He sighed for the nth time as she stood up and faced him, looking down at him with an outstretched hand. She beamed at him, sending a smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts. "Why don't we do this together taicho? I'm sure you could use some help on your mission, and afterwards, right?"

He looked at her with an incredulous expression, mentally chewing and swallowing the words, as if they were some kind of hard-to-eat rations. His eyes watered a little, she noticed. "You… you'd do that for me?"

"Of course! That promise wasn't for nothing you know!" she feigned hurt a little and stuck out her tongue at him, looking much younger than the 23 years she'd reached last month. "Come on" she said, her features softening, "let's get some tea, and then I'll go and talk to Tsunade-sichou before we go."

He looked down to the side of where she was sitting across from him, a small smile adorning his troubled features "are you really sure you want to help me with this?" he said, as he scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed to think that he still couldn't quite believe her offer of kindness.

"Don't be silly, we're friends and besides, I know you don't have the slightest clue of how to take care of a youngster", a playful smiled adorned her lips and she had hit the spot, he didn't have the slightest idea of how he'd tackle this, from sleeping arrangements to cooking, he was totally clueless.

Half an hour went and the time neared 4am. They had drunk their tea, and Sakura had put away the cups and pot again so they could pack. "We meet back here in 15 minutes!" she shouted and hoped he'd heard her, since he was already well under his way to his own place.

Once they had packed, they both met outside Sakura's apartment. They headed out, swiftly jumping from roof to roof, and crossed the village quickly. Once out in the open, they slowed down a little, to walk side by side on the dusty road that lead away from their home.

"So taicho…what's he like, this kid of yours?" She really wanted to know more about the boy, but decided she wouldn't push the topic too far if he didn't want to answer her. He blushed a little and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment "well…actually, I don't really know him myself". She looked a bit stunned at him, "you…you never met him!?" it came out a little too loud for her liking and she too turned the color of her hair. "No, I don't even know his name."

"Well that's definitely something we'll have to find out, did you read all of the mission scroll, maybe Tsunade-sichou wrote it in there somewhere?" He took out the scroll from his vest pocket again, and tossed it to her. She began to read it all, and at the very end, she found exactly what they'd been looking for. "Ah here it is! His personal data" she gave an exited squeal before she turned to read it out loud for him to hear.

"Name: Suzume, Kaito.

Rank: None.

Mother: Suzume, Aya.

Father… unknown?

Why aren't you listed as the father?" He contemplated the answer for a moment before he tried to answer, "Maybe, she didn't want me listed there…that might be the case, and since those data are not from Konoha I guess I don't have to be described in there."

"Oh…she must've really been angry with you to do this huh?" she let out her own sigh as he said, "yeah I guess so…but there's nothing I can do to change that now."

The rest of the trip went on in relative silence between the two jounin, and after a few days running at a fast, steady pace, they finally reached the borders of Flower country.

* * *

So this was the first chapter, I've intentionally uploaded the next chapter for you guys to read, just to give you a chance to read some of the more interesting parts. I hope this wasn't too bad though - let me know what you think!

Also, I know the story about Tenzou's lover isn't making much sense right now, but as the story progresses, it will I promise.

Maria


	2. Worries

SO! next part of the adventure begins! who is this boy? how will he react to those news? and will Tenzou loose his nerve before they even get there?

**Disclaimer:** Universe, characters and original concept is the property of Masashi Kishimoto - however I do own this fic.

_Chapter __2 –Worries_

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" he asked, one more time, feeling very unsteady in this himself.

"If you are going to ask me that, one more time Tenzou, I swear I'll scream! Just trust in your friends already!"

"So-sorry" he muttered.

"Listen, I know you're feeling stressed right now, but please take it easy, I'll handle as much of this as I can so you can relax, but you have to face him and his family."

"I know, I know" He groaned, as he turned his head down and slapped his hand in his face. "I don't know what's happening to me, I've been in more life and death situations than I even care to remember, but this is by far the most frightened I've ever felt."

"Just try to calm yourself a little, we're almost there", she spoke softly and padded him on the back.

Just over the mountain lay a small village in a valley, no more than a few kilometers from were they stood. Sakura gasped "wow it's really beautiful here! No wonder she moved to this place".

"Yeah, it's quite the site; I would've loved to live here too." He had a dreamy smile adorning his features for a second before snapping back to the worries at hand, but Sakura had noticed it all the same _'It's so sad that he couldn't go with her…maybe things would have been different for him now…'_

"Earth to Sakura… where ever you are" he waved a hand in front of her face to punctuate the question.  
It instantly drew her out of her musings, but her face was stuck in an awkward expression just long enough for him to catch it and chuckle a little at it.

His eyes made a half-crease that resembled Naruto's when he was up to no god. "You look funny when you space out like that"

he couldn't help but point childishly at her and use the other hand to cover the lower part of his face, as he fought to contain his mirth. But to no avail; he was grinning like an idiot now and seconds after he burst out in roaring laughter. He stopped his walk as they were half way down the mountain, and she sent him a fierce glare.

"That's rude taicho! Stop laughing at me like that, I know I'm not very pretty - stop grinding it in my face!"

He snorted loudly as he regained some control over himself. "It's not that…it's just that…you made such a funny face, I've never seen you do that before... I guess you just caught me off guard", he still sported a wide grin.

As he calmed down again, he noticed her sad expression.

"Sorry Sakura, I didn't mean to upset you, I'm so glad you offered your help to me on this, and I couldn't bear to know I'd made you sad."

'_That does sound like an honest apology…maybe he really didn't mean it', _she thought, before she began walking again, a small smile now gracing the beautiful face she herself, would deny was so. "Its okay taicho, I forgive you."

Boy was he glad to hear those words. He gave her a winning smile, and she smiled back at him, as they continued their walk down the mountainside.

When they reached the village, his anxiety grew, but he opted to keep a straight face. He didn't want anyone to get any ideas about him – he'd experienced enough prejudices from people who had instantly claimed they knew his "kind" as they put it.

So what - he looked a little different, and was well known for his Mokuton no jutsu, and some people were even afraid of it – he'd have good use of that particular jutsu in ANBU.

But it didn't end there. Many often misguidedly took him for being a weak shinobi, and most often, that was because of his outgoing attitude.

They slandered through the small streets buzzing with village life.

"How do we even know which boy it is?" Just as Sakura had asked that question, a small dog came running around the corner of one of the alleyways at breakneck speed with a little boy trailing close behind it.

"What…was that?" he asked, giving Sakura a disbelieving looks of what he'd just seen.

"I have no idea taicho, but why don't we ask around for Kaito? There are lots of shops here, and this village is tiny, so people should know, right?"

He blinked at her a couple of times before getting his mind back to the matter at hand. "Yeah of course, that's a great idea."

They quickly turned to scan the area for the nearest shop, Sakura spotted it, and darted towards the entrance. Tenzou looked up at the sign for moment before going in. _'Oh, a herbalist? I guess Sakura could have ulterior motives coming here'_

He dreaded Sakura's shopping habits, one too many times had he been giving her a helping hand on her shopping sprees and he knew, that once she started going into that mode, she would likely buy half the shop before even thinking of moving on to her next target shop of abuse. And he supposed he could've lived with this quirk of hers if she could just go out and buy clothes like some of the other girls did – but no, she bought heavy stuff like weapons, medical equipment and other gear she "might need."

He stepped into the small shop. There was only just room for him and Sakura there with an appropriate distance between them, as to signal to the old biddy sitting at the desk, that they were not a couple. They had on several occasions been mistaken for just that, both on missions and when eating out. It just so happened that they had both agreed to remain friends, and so a relationship beyond that would be unrealistic, besides, they had decided that it suited them just fine. But she must've been half blind because just a couple of seconds after the thought left his mind, she asked Sakura in a raspy, but sweet voice

"hello dear, are you looking for something for your husband?"

Sakura got slightly flustered at the comment.

"N-no I was just going to ask you if…".

"Not to worry dear! I know that the nightly activities of you young people can need an extra "element" to it sometimes, I have just the thing to keep him going"

There was no amount of embarrassment in her voice as she took a small pouch out from under the desk that contained a fine white powder.

The two unfortunate jounins instantly went several shades of red as they both fought the furious blush each of them sported.

They both raised their hands in defense and tried to explain to the old lady that Sakura were just here to buy a couple of soothing herbs, and not an aphrodisiac, and after steadily regaining their sanity from the imposing bomb of the 3 foot 80-some years old biddy standing before them, and explaining their _actual_ "relationship", they went on to ask about their mission target.

"So…" Sakura began, "we are looking for a little boy here in the village, he couldn't be more than six years old by now; his last name is Suzume."

The old woman seemed to contemplate the impending question for what seemed like hours before some kind of light finally seemed to clear the darkness of her memory. "Oh! I know who you're talking about" Her face lit up for a brief moment before it turned into a scowl "how could I not". The two shinobi exchanged looks as the woman spoke again. "He just ran off with that little dog of his, I guess he went to play" She waved her hand lazily in the direction of the town square.

"Thank you very much ma'am" Tenzou bowed at her respectfully as they turned to leave the little shop.

Sakura was the first to crack the somewhat calm face they had successfully put up again after the unintentional verbal assault from the old lady.

"That was about the worst assumption she could make! I can't _believe_ she said that!" She huffed angrily at him as he chuckled a little at the whole bizarre ordeal.

He tried to calm her down a little, by reasoning that they after all, was acquainted quite well with each other, and that this wasn't different from all the other times they'd been mistaken from a couple.

"Come on Tenzou! You _know_ that's not entirely correct. She just told you you're not good enough in bed!" A few seconds went before she realized just what she was saying, and she blushed crimson upon his next statement to the little rant she'd just blurted out.

With a grin, rivaling Naruto's and an amusing glint in his eyes he spoke in a playful, mischievous tone

"And how would you know that?, Sakura_-chan_"

He stressed the honorific a little, just to annoy her further, he'd have to give it to his sempai, he'd learned some serious skills in the "annoying others, part of dialogue" as Sakura had so gingerly put it, and he couldn't help but feel that he was getting addicted to sometimes pushing the buttons of his teammates. With Sakura, it would be something embarrassing, and Naruto got scared out of his wits when he sometimes put on his "scary face" as Naruto had named it. Sai was never really easily provoked at all, and he had truly given up on him. At last there was Kakashi-sempai, the one person he truly regarded as his closest friend - the one he looked up to for all those years in ANBU and the only one (non-enemy) who could really get his own blood boiling with his small gestures and bad habits.

All the while he'd stood there with that smug smile on his face he hadn't realized just how long he'd done it before a petite fist greeted the side of his jawbone.

He rather heard than felt the cracking noises and he looked shocked for a moment before he winced in pain from the blow.

'_That was a serious hit, she never really hit me __that __hard… maybe I deserved it.. I guess it was a little rude'_

"Ow…" He rubbed his throbbing law, still feeling a little dizzy from the sheer force that had hit him.

"Serves you right for making fun of a woman!" She glared angrily at him, and he felt the waves of intent coming from her. But when she saw him, she just couldn't keep up the level of disappointment. He was an idiot sometimes, but she would forgive him – it wasn't _really_ all that bad. And how could words from a total stranger get her riled up like that? She knew the old biddy hadn't meant any harm, and it was just as Tenzou had said – they _were_ good friends and they _were_ close, and it was only natural for someone like the old woman to assume that they were more than just friends, although they both knew otherwise.

_'I seriously need control my anger sometimes_…_'_

She gave him am apolegic face, looking at the ugly bruise she'd left on him and slowly walked up to the slightly flustered man, one hand glowing with that soothing green chakra she used to heal all her patients with.

"Sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen, stand still for a moment and I'll fix this."

As her chakra soothed his aching muscle and bone, knitting it all together again perfectly, he visibly and mentally relaxed again. She'd forgiven his poor attempt at a joke, at her expense no less and that wasn't nothing in his book. He knew the temper that resided in his female companion, and he also knew that she was, for some reason, far more lenient with him and his sempai.

'_Naruto would've been knocked cold for less'_, he thought as he silently vowed not to have too much fun at her expense – _Better talk to sempai, he always plays more jokes on Sakura than I do… I wonder why?_

He didn't have much time to finish that thought, as Sakura pointed in the direction of the town square.

Right in the middle a little boy was playing tug-of-war with a piece of wood with what was supposedly his dog. "Hayabuza give it back! Mom will get mad at me if I ruin that thing!" The little dog finally gave in to the protests, and released the little wooden piece of art with a bark. The boy took it in his hand to inspect it and groaned "Arrh look at it now, it's ruined, mom will have my head for this!"

The little wooden statue, which Tenzou noticed, resembled a bird in flight was almost cracked in two. It had bite marks all over, and looked like it had been dropped in a pool of drool.

The boy gave a sad look, and started to clean the thing with his own shirt.

He looked up as two people he hadn't seen before approached him. They looked very out of place here with their backpacks and gear on – and those weird clothes, what was that about?

"Are you two lost?" he said, as he regarded the strangers with a curious look. Sakura gave the boy a bright smile, and she walked a little closer to him, to sit by his side

"No, actually we were looking for someone; do you know a boy named Suzume Kaito?"

The boys face lit up as his name was mentioned, "That's me!" he said, as he grinned widely.

_That smile reminds me someone__. _She smiled warmly and thought back to when she and Naruto had first met, she hated the blond knucklehead back then, but as the years past she came to value him as one of her closest friends.

"We need to talk to you Kaito". The boy looked indifferent for a brief moment before answering

"Mom says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers".

Tenzou couldn't stay out of this any longer. He walked up to the two, and sat down across from the boy.

Although he knew all to well of what had happened to Aya, he wanted to hear the boy out, he might not even know that his mother had passed away yet.

"Kaito how is your mother? Where can we find her?" The boy fell silent, as he started to walk away from the square and into one of the streets connected to it,

"This way".

The two shinobi opted to follow their target, as he walked down one of the little side streets, he came to a wooden door, and let himself into a small apartment it was sparsely furnished, although there were a lot of decorations on the walls. There were geranium pots with all different kinds of flowers, placed in the window sills, and many painted pictures hanging on the walls along with trinkets of all sorts. In the living room, he took a small picture frame that was standing on a commode, above it high up, hung a great, red-painted Tengu mask. He handed the frame to Sakura.

Sakura took it and examined the picture carefully.

"Is this her Tenzou?"

He came closer to inspect the photo. He almost couldn't fight back the lone tear that would have escaped the corner of his eyes as he took in all her beauty.

The picture was of a woman in her mid twenties, she had short, fiery red hair, jade green eyes, and was currently holding a basket of vegetables and bread, it was a bright and sunny day and she wore what seemed like some sort of summer dress, standing beside her, clutching the hem of her dress was a small boy with sienna hair, clad in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Yes, that's Aya", was his only reply as he sat down next to the boy on the floor.

"Kaito, did your mom ever tell you about your father?"

The boy scrunched his face as he seemed to be in deep thought.

"Mom said he left before I was even born, she said he didn't want to stay with us – I never even saw him once"

Tenzou felt a pang of guilt once again, he looked away to gather his thoughts.

"He…it wasn't because he didn't want to stay with you, he had a job that he couldn't retire from and he couldn't move with you and mom"

He had to take a long pause before continuing.

"It…it was me Kaito…I'm your father, and me and Sakura here are ninja from the village hidden in the leaves. We came here to take you home with us."

As those last difficult words left his mouth he smiled hesitantly at the shocked boy.

The boy looked indignant at the two adults, especially the man who'd just told him he was his father – who were these people anyway?

"I…I don't believe you, you could be anyone!" he was scared; they might be thieves he realized, or maybe even worse, he silently cursed himself for being so disobedient as to take two strangers with him. Mother might not be here in the flesh anymore, but he was sure that her spirit would always linger with him, and because of that, he still believed she could hear and see him.

Tenzou breathed out slowly, _this might prove more difficult than we thought_.

"Calm down Kaito, I can assure you that we are telling you the truth"

Sakura recognized his tone of voice; it was the lecturing tone he always used to state a fact. She shook her head in the negative at his antics "Tenzou, don't say it like that, for kami's sake he is just a little boy"

She laid a gentle, but demanding hand on his shoulder, as she silently told him to back away a little before he could make it any worse, he did so and Sakura took his place with the boy across from her.

"Don't be scared Kaito, we aren't here to hurt you, it's our duty to you and our village to bring you back, and Tenzou has been really looking forward to see you"

Once again she gave him an almost motherly smile – to him it was, she looked so much like his own mother and he quickly lowered his defenses a little. She put a dainty hand on his shoulder, and finding that he didn't shy away, she was inwardly pleased with herself.

"He knows that your mother isn't here anymore and he wanted to make it up to you for all the years he couldn't be with you by taking you home now."

Tenzou walked up the two once again, and took a small, battered piece of paper from his vest, it was a picture.

"Here Kaito, you can have this" he said, as he came close enough to sit by the boys side and show him the small photo.

The boy took it, and carefully inspected the piece.

"Is this…mom and…you?"

the words seemed to slip from his mouth without him even noticing and he started to take a careful look at Tenzou, feeling the face of the man who proclaimed to be his father, as if trying to feel a similarity to the picture he'd just touched moments ago. He placed his small fingers on the metal jaw-guard Tenzou always wore, and stopped when he reached the forehead with the leaf insignia.

"Is this is…what all leafninjas wear?" the next moment he took a sharp intake of breath as Tenzou placed a warm hand onto his and laughed lightly. "Don't worry; they come in different forms and sizes"

* * *

Hmmm this chapter was reeeealy hard on me, It's hard to get all the feelings down on digital paper...his meeting with Kaito shouldn't seem rushed, but I'm still having difficulties describing all of the mood and emotion that comes with this. If you have some good tips, please review! :)


	3. A new home

So the story contiues!

Please review if you have suggestions of any sort

_Chapter __3 –A new Home_

Kaito had finally come to a conclusion: this had to be his real father. He seemed kind but serious and his words sounded sincere, and then there was the picture – he had never seen his mother with another man but him, and that alone had somehow made him believe the two grownups at last.

"Where are you going to take me?"

Tenzou regarded the child – it seemed like Kaito believed them, which was very good news.

"We are going back to Konoha were we live now"

Kaito cocked his head to the side looking every bit the lost puppy he felt, he didn't know anything about that place, his mom hadn't even mentioned such a name before.

"Is it far? Mother never even mentioned it"

The two shinobi stood up and Tenzou gave his boy a helping hand and a warm smile.

"No, it's only a few days walk from here, if we speed up, I bet we can make it in 3 days, but we're not in any hurry"

"That _is_ far, I've never even been outside this valley, I'll never make it!"

The boy drew the two adults a dramatic scene of someone falling to his knees and dying like he had walked to the ends of the earth and he feigned death as he clutched his neck and stuck out his tongue in mock resemblance.

Sakura and Tenzou laughed healthily at the boy's vivid display.

"It's not that bad" Sakura said, in a cheery voice "I think you'll like the trip, and don't worry, we will camp and rest, and if you're _really_ tired, I think your dad will make an exception just for you and carry you a little.

She playfully bumped against Tenzou and he blushed a little.

'_Dad? It'll be some time before I get used to this'_

The little sienna haired boy stood outside the house with the two jounin, about to leave what had been his home for as long as he could remember.

"I miss her"

He looked down at the ground momentarily, and clutches his tiny hands; he made no sound but they both noticed his eyes starting to water and his lower lip trembling. Little silent tears started to trickle down his, now puffy cheeks.

Sakura walked back to the crying boy and kneeled down, stroking a gentle hand across his tearstained face.

"Shh… its ok sweetheart, we know, but your mom will always be with you, and you should remember that"

Sakura just couldn't help it. She could hold her fight at the most horrific sights, but seeing a child cry was something the woman in her, just couldn't turn away from.

More tears welled from his smoky, jade green eyes, and the crying he had started upon her kind words soon turned to quiet sobs and little hiccups.

Sakura was surprised when he hugged her tightly, like holding on for dear life.

Tenzou came closer and tapped her on the shoulder. With a knowing look she released the boy and Tenzou picked him up into his arms. They slowly walked away from the deserted place, he was about to tell Sakura that they should head out into the woods and camp for the night, before a thought struck him.

"Kaito?"

The sobbing boy looked up from the jounin shirt where he had buried his face.

"We were informed that you were staying with some of your family, where are they?"

The boy's expression changed, from sad to angry.

"They left… they never liked me, and they only said they'd take me in because it was mom's last wish"

Tenzou took a careful look at the boy, as if studying a rare specimen. "But how did you…?"

The question didn't have to linger long, before Kaito answered with vigor "But luckily, mom had left all sorts of dried food, so I never went hungry"

Tenzou noticed the uneasiness that the mentioning of his family and deceased mother had brought upon the boy, and he decided it was best to keep that part if his family away from him – should they ever willingly want to meet with him again.

He'd be damned if anyone hurt his boy.

"It's getting dark soon taicho, we'd better head out and make camp for the night" Sakura had pushed him out of his worrying train of thought and back to reality.

"Wait!"

The shaky little voice turned slightly more confident. "I need to have this with me – it was mom's favorite" He unwrapped the little wooden statue from his shirt. "And I want to say goodbye to Hayabuza…"

"I'll hold this until we can take the time to fix it" Sakura took the little thing and put it in her backpack. "Can't we just take Hayabuza with us?"

Kaito hesitated a moment before speaking. "Hayabuza wasn't my dog. The old lady at the herbal shop found him one day and fed him, I guess he just liked living in the village"

He sniffled a little. "I think Hayabuza will find me if wants to live with me", he said with a sad smile.

Sakura and Tenzou looked at each other and then at the boy, who at no more than 6 six years old, would have the logic of a teenager.

"We should get going now though, as I said before it'll get dark soon, and we need a good place to sleep" she said, smiling at the two.

They sped out of the small village and up the mountain once again. With Tenzou holding on to the boy, they could make a good way before setting up camp, she thought.

After 2 hours of running up the small mountain, and away from the valley, they had effectively reached the first of the forests they passed through on their way here. They went in, and soon came across a clearing where a small stream ran through not too far away.

"Let's set up camp here" he said, as he sat Kaito down for a moment to take off his backpack and unpack the tent and other supplies.

"I'll get firewood, and catch us some dinner while you set up the tent taicho" Sakura was off in a flash to gather firewood.

She came back after a couple of moments before taking off again. "Taicho, please start the fire so it can be ready when I get back with the fish!"

She was off, the sound of her voice the only thing that gave away her current direction.

After a moment of thinking about his question, Kaito couldn't help but ask.

"Dad?"

"mhmm?"

"Why does she call you 'taicho'?"

"Because I _am_ her captain - and I have been for a long time, so she still calls me that out of habit" He smiled a little to himself, it really wasn't necessary for Sakura to call him that, he might technically be the leader of the two-man team they sometimes formed when asked to, but he thought nothing of such formalities in her presence, they were friends first and foremost, and that was what mattered to him the most – not some fancy title.

After twenty minutes he had set up their tent and was waiting for Sakura to get back from her little fishing trip. It was only a few minutes before she emerged with four medium-sized fish; she figured it would be more than enough for them.

"Hey guy's, dinner is served!"

She got up to the fire and handed the catch to her captain. He took it and settled the fish on a small rock surface, where he began to rinse it for them to eat. Sakura took out a little pot with rice, and poured in some of the water, she had gathered as well, down at the stream.

"Sakura…-san" the boy began, still a little timid, and trying to get used to the two shinobi. "My dad says you don't have to call him taicho anymore, so you can stop that now", he said in a matter-of-fact tone and finished with a bright smile, believing that he'd helped to ease up the mood.

Sakura started giggling, "It's ok Kaito, It's just a bad habit, and you don't have to worry about it".

She laughed lightly at her captain, "He's a real life saver huh, Tenzou?" The playful tone of her voice made him scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"He just asked why you called me 'taicho' and I said that it was out of habit – I guess he didn't know that I'd already told you". He turned around to face the little boy who, as of know, was pouting and sitting across from both of them with a sour expression on his young features.

"I just asked, nothing big! Stop laughing at me!" he stared angrily at Sakura, and then at his father. "Mom always said you should tell the truth and help others… but the others always laughed at me…"

He immediately went from angry to sad, his young face making a deep frown, that made him seem so much older and crossing his arms across his small chest. A silent tear escaped his green orbs.

With lightning speed he whipped up a hand and dried it away with the sleeve of his shirt and turned his back against the two to look down at the moist forest floor.

Tenzou and Sakura exchanged knowing looks, and Tenzou got up ever so lightly and walked over to the boy. As he laid a gentle hand the boys' small shoulders he felt him stiffen a little from the close contact.

"It's ok Kaito… we didn't want to hurt you, I was teased a lot too when I was younger you know"

The boy turned around to look at him, and almost felt lost in his dark eyes. "But why would you tease me then?" He sniffled a little, fighting the tears that stung in his eyes.

Tenzou smiled warmly at his son "We all get teased a little sometimes Kaito, you shouldn't take it so hard – we, or anyone we know, would never hurt our friends on purpose"

He gave the boy a gentle rub on the shoulders, and went back to sit at the fire.

"Won't you come and sit with us?" he said, as he gestured the boy closer with one hand.

Kaito got up from his sitting spot, and went to join his father, this time sitting next to him, feeling more secure than ever since his mother past away.

"Ahh, the rice have finished, lets eat guys" Sakura said, she wanted to bring up the mood a little and handed Kaito a bowl with the cooked fish and a portion of rice. He gladly took it, not realizing just how hungry he had been. This had been one hell of a day and strangely enough these people already made him feel better. It felt as though he had always known them somehow.

That night they to sleep. Sakura laid in the middle, since she had complained about the coldness of the outside earlier. And each of the "boys" as she had called them, were lying on each side of her, one sleeping soundly – and ever so slowly, she noticed, creping a little closer for warmth. The other one was lying on his back snoring lightly, and Sakura couldn't help but smile at her captain.

_He sure had a rough day__…_

It was early in morning when Tenzou woke up. He cracked one eye open and took in his surroundings again. At a moments notice, the memories from yesterday crowded his tired head and he sat up in the tent when he noticed that someone was missing. He gently shook his team mate to wake her up - he wouldn't try anything rushed, because over the years he'd noticed that Sakura had a tendency to lash out a people when she was still half asleep.

"Hm?"

"Sakura…have you seen Kaito? He isn't here"

"…" a sleepy look was all he got before she blinked a little and sat up. "No taicho I slept right until you woke me up seconds ago, I haven't heard a thing all night"

"I'll go take a look then"

He quickly got up and out of the tent. He went in the direction of the little stream, trusting his gut instinct to be correct in it's assumption that this was the most obvious of ways Kaito could have gone.

It turned out that he was correct. As he slowly approached the stream he saw something that almost made his eyes bob out.

There at the bank of the small stream, sat his own son, fully concentrating on making the right hand seals.

Tenzou decided that he would wait in cover a little more, just to avoid disturbing what could turn out to be quite an interesting discovery. He concealed his chakra and waited in patience.

Kaito had finished the hand seals, it was a slow process but Tenzou immediately recognized the jutsu.

Slowly, a tiny water-dragon formed and it danced over the water surface almost lazily. The boy was pulled out of his concentration and tried to grab it, but as soon as he had let go of his hand signs, the little dragon melted back with the rest of the water.

"_Nooo not again...!_" he heard him hiss quietly to himself.

"So this is where you were"

The boy gave a startled jolt and looked to where the voice came from.

Tenzou decided that was the right time to reveal himself, and he closed the distance between him and his son.

"What are you doing here?" there was no accusing in his tone of voice, just a question with a light streak of mild curiosity.

"N-nothing dad" he scratched the back of his head – much like himself and his teeth showed through a toothy smile.

_You're a bad liar – just like me_

"hmmm nothing huh?"

He gave the boy a crooked smile and walked over to stand at his side.

The next seconds Kaito watched in awe, as his father made the hand seals for his own jutsu. From the water the biggest water-dragon he'd ever seen, rose from the surface to greet him before it plunged and turned into the stream again which seemed to have dried out as Tenzou performed the jutsu.

"WOW! I how'd you _do_ that!?" he asked, awe and surprise clearly written all over his face.

His father sighed a little.

"Much the same way you did it – _however_, that is not interesting as of now. What is interesting though is how _you_ did it."

"Y-you saw?" It was a stupid question, of course he'd seen, but he couldn't help but feel a little intimidated that he hadn't even noticed anyone approaching like he normally did when the old lady tried to sneak up on him when it was time for Hayabuza's dinner.

"I need to know who thought you this technique Kaito"

The boy hesitated for a moment, feeling the stern look and his fathers calculating eyes on him.

"No one did, I found a scroll once that said how to do it. It showed these hand signs and a lot I don't know anything about at all, but somehow I found out how to do it anyway since there were pictures – it's a really cool trick, and I wanted to show you and Sakura so I got up early to practice" his mouth spread into a big smile again, and this time Tenzou noted that he was sincere – he meant every word and it somehow warmed his heart to know that his boy was already this skilled with chakra – even though he had no idea about what it was that he'd done.

"Come on, lets get back – we need to move on, but promise me you won't do that anymore until we say so, it's dangerous to try something you have no control of Kaito"

Tenzou took the boy's hand, and Kaito lowered his head a little, still trying to discern his fathers words in his mind, and being a little sad for having his practice banned.

"I promise"

Yeah! haden't expected that had you? And before I get rants of having created a prodigy-marry-sue character, please note, that Kaito is not meant to be some kickass prodigy who gets anything he tries to learn down in seconds. Sometimes you can just be good at one particular thing, and you might not even be aware that you've skipped a couple of stepps (much like Sasuke learning the fireball jutsu - he was about Kaito's age)


	4. Getting to know you

A quick update, since I got some exstra spare time today, and I didn't really feel like drawing :)

~ Enjoy

_Chapter __4 –Getting to know you_

"Are we there yet?"

A sigh.

"No, not yet"

That particular question had been asked for the nth time that morning when they had started to set out from their previous camping spot. It was now 3 days since they had left the small village in Flower country and although they had entered Fire country quite some time ago, they weren't travelling too fast, and it had set them back in terms of traveling.

"When _are_ we there, I wanna know – _please?_"

Tenzou sighed for the nth time that day. Every 5 minute or so, Kaito had asked him or Sakura when they would be arriving at the Konoha gates, and neither of them really knew since it wasn't everyday that shinobi of their status would have to travel to Flower country – they usually only had minor threats and neither him, nor Sakura were ever selected for the easy missions.

Kaito groaned, he was bored to tears! There was nothing to do but look at the passing landscape. Suddenly he got an idea and a devious smirk crossed his little face as he slowly slipped to the back.

No more than a minute after, the two jounin stopped for a second, when Tenzou noticed that the boy who had been just by his side a minute ago had gone missing – again.

He looked behind him, and got a little uneasy when he saw nothing. He then took a quick glance at Sakura, who only gave him a blank look.

As to voice his own thoughts she spoke, "Sorry taicho, I can't see him anywhere"

Sakura fought to keep down the smile that was tugging at the corner of her lips. She had noticed Kaito slipping into the bushes behind them, and as she flared her own chakra, she sensed the boy not too far away, silently trying to stalk them.

She'd have to give it to the boy for slipping past his own dad though – people who didn't know him and saw this, wouldn't ever have guessed that he was ANBU. But maybe it was just this whole mission – it wasn't a dangerous trip where they had a good chance of being sent home in pieces, or not coming home at all and she had asked him to try and relax, so she figured this was why he had let his guard down so much.

Not but a second after she had finished her inner musings, a war-cry was heard from the wilderness when Kaito jumped out from a tree, lounging himself at what he hoped would be an unsuspecting target.

But as of know, that particular unsuspecting target, was well aware of his presence and he quickly sidestepped to watch the boy's frightened expression as he realized that he would be hitting the ground, face first, very – very soon.

Kaito closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he waited for the ground to meet him.

The next fraction of a second a loud crackling noise was heard from the depths of ground below them.

As swift as a bird in flight, twisted wood cringed around him and stopped his fall instantly.

Kaito slowly opened his eyes, surprise written all over his delicate features. He hung but a few centimeters from the dusty road they had been walking on the whole time. His body hurt from the sudden stop and the harsh material gripping him, but inwardly he was grateful for whatever had saved him from a painful landing.

The wooden material suddenly faded back into the ground to disappear, as Tenzou let go of the jutsu. He gave a weary smile.

_He's going to be a real handful isn't he?_

"W-what w-was that?" Kaito asked. He was grateful but still a little shaken up over the whole ordeal, that seemed to have taken forever, whereas in reality, it might only have been a couple of seconds. He sat there on his rear looking confused as ever when his father stepped up to him to lend him a hand.

"Come on Kaito, no more tricks now – we'll be home soon"

He looked as calm and collected as ever when he spoke, Kaito noted. The whole ordeal didn't seem to faze him at all – like it was almost…normal.

"What…just happened?"

He knew it sounded weird to ask that – he knew very well what had just happened, but still something didn't add up. Over the year he had noticed his mom being able to perform similar jutsu like the water dragon, never had he come across a person who could do more elements than one.

His first question was ignored, and he opted to ask the next.

"How can you do more than 1 element? And what is wood part of anyway?"

Tenzou abruptly stopped. How on earth did a six-year-old even know about element jutsu? Still, it didn't seem like the boy knew everything that was to know about these topics – he had mostly likely been told bits and pieces of the whole picture, and would surely need to be thought like the rest of the children who went to the academy.

"HEY!"

Tenzou was thrown out of his inner musings when Kaito stood at his side, defiantly tugging on his flack jacket to get his attention.

"Wow! Take it easy now; I will only explain if you stop that – right now"

He pointed at where Kaito was tugging at his vest, and gave the boy a stern look before ruffling his messy brown mop.

It seemed to calm him down, as he let go of the garment, his cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment at his own behavior…mom had thought him better, he thought…

"Sorry… but it made me angry that you wouldn't even answer me, it's not polite! Mom always said you have to answer when spoken to!

Once again the boy looked rebelliously at his father.

Tenzou crouched before him, it would seem that Aya must've tried hard to teach this young man some protocol, and although it would seem that at first glance, the boy was very ill-mannered, he realized that Kaito had a strong sense of some of the ideals and principles that would truly matter to him – the way he just wouldn't let any injustice be done to himself or his love-ones, the loyalty he had towards his mother – even though she was no longer of this world, and the way he just seemed to naturally be able to decipher the feelings that others tried to hide – he saw through Sakura and him, he believed in them – believed in him when he, with all the sincerity he had, told him that he was his father. It was as though these teachings had rooted deep in his soul from the very beginning. To Tenzou, Kaito did neither reason or talk like the young boy he was – although he certainly acted his age, mostly, but he idly wondered what could've caused this strange phenomena. One moment his dark green eyes would make him look ages old, and the next he would bounce around, acting every little bit the child he was.

He smiled and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's ok Kaito, I promise I'll tell you sometime, but for now, there is a lot you need to learn before you can understand."

Kaito seemed to give him an understanding look, but said nothing.

'_There it is again…that look…that trust'_

His eyes widened for a second as a previous promise he had made to the boy surfaced.

"Where did we put that little figure you brought?"

Kaito's face lit up, suddenly remembering what his dad had said three days prior. He jumped over to Sakura and begged for her to give him the small figure. She complied and handed him the little cloth-wrapped bird with a smile of her own.

"Here it is!" he said, as he proudly presented the ruined piece of art with both hands. It was still a little sticky from the drool and grime, but most of the saliva had dried off by now.

Tenzou took it, gingerly inspecting all the details that were torn by cracks, bumps and teeth marks.

It was actually a very beautiful carving. The little piece of wood had been carved to resemble a bird in flight – a sparrow he noted, upon further inspection. It was made of several different tree sorts, the beak and feet from something lighter, and the markings on the birds head and wings, from a darker sort than the rest of the body.

Sakura came closer as well; all this time she had been guessing what this gift really was – it was unusual for a boy of his age to have received such an expensive present.

"Who bought this, do you know, Kaito?" she asked, mildly curious about how Aya would have been able to afford such a thing – this was a present fit for a Shogun's child – it was one of those pieces that would cost a small fortune because of its fine character.

"It wasn't bought, it was mom's favorite, she always had it for some reason and it was very important to her… I think she got it from her dad"

So it was a family treasure, she should have thought about that too, but ninja's outside hidden villages didn't often have stationary things like that. To posses something like this would indicate a permanent home, something to come home to. But most often ninja's would have family riches that they could take with them on the battlefield, something that gave them the inner strength they needed in the rightful moment. She decided it didn't matter, this was something he could remember his mother by, and that seemed important to him.

"It's very beautiful, you should hold on to it for as long as you can, if your mother gave it to you, she must have thought you were special"

Kaito looked down at the ground; a small smile was still unmistakably in place.

"I know… that's why I was very happy when you said you would repair it."

"Shall we get started then?" Tenzou said in a cheerful voice. He padded the boy on the shoulders once more.

"Yes!" Kaito exclaimed happily, and pumped his small fist in the air.

"Just give me a second; I need to be absolutely sure I do this right"

Kaito sat next to him, eyes peering down at the broken object; ready to see what he believed would be something great.

Tenzou furrowed his brows in concentration, this wasn't going to be easy - he wouldn't portray himself as being the overly delicate type when it came to art. But for Kaito's sake, and his own, this had to be perfect.

A minute went, and Tenzou slowly closed his hands in front of him. The bird began to stir and rustle and slowly the bumps and cracks were filled out and smoothed accordingly.

It took him about ten minutes to lay the last finishing touches on the wooden figure before he was satisfied. He slowly released the jutsu again, so it wouldn't cause anything to go wrong, and let go of the breath he had been holding. He hadn't expected such a small project to be so demanding of his strength, and he had to take just a little moment to rest his mind before they went on. His chakra control was very nearly perfect, but it had taken every ounce of his concentration, not to make a slip-up.

The whole time Kaito had watched in awe as the little figure he treasured so highly, was perfectly mended back to its former glory.

As he got up from the dusty road, he was met with a back turned to him, and a couple of hands beckoning him closer.

"Let's go Kaito, no more stops now, we are almost home" he said, looking over his shoulder while speaking.

Kaito jumped on Tenzou's back in excitement; he wanted nothing more than to see Konoha now.

* * *

A couple of hours went and Kaito had very nearly burst of anticipation when finally, they could begin to skim the huge green gates in the horizon.

"It won't be long now"

Tenzou looked at the ecstatic boy, he was truly glad that Kaito was exited rather than disappointed to move to another place. Though this was for the boy's own good, he had feared that he would reject the idea of living elsewhere – luckily, that wasn't the case.

The last couple hundred meters, Kaito wanted to go by himself, and so he was let down for the last part of what had in his mind, been the longest journey he had ever embarked on.

Sakura and Tenzou slowed down to a walk, but Kaito was so thrilled that he ran as fast as he could.

"He's very fast, ne taicho?" Sakura smiled at the jounin walking next to her, but the teasing character in her voice wasn't lost on him.

Tenzou sighed a little, and scratched the back of his head. "He sure is, I bet he still has enough energy to last the rest of the day – it wouldn't surprise me if he did, he seems to have inherited that particular feat from his mother, you know, she was quite the fiery spirit herself"

She swatted him on the back and laughed lightly at his own somewhat, calm manner.

"Well Tenzou-_kun_, he certainly didn't get that from you, now did he?"

He looked indignantly at her for a moment, before she started a fit of giggles once more.

"Now", -giggle- "we're even"

So what did you think? I know they didn't actually get inside Konoha this time, but I wanted to draw this out a little, so you'd be able to have a good idea of Kaito's personality before I introduce anymore characters into this fic.

Next chapter: They had finaly arrived in Konoha, but how will Kaito react when he gets to know some new faces?

Until next time, I hoped you enjoyed this ^^


	5. New faces

And heeeere's chapter 5, enjoy!

_Chapter __5 – New faces_

_I'm gonna be first to reach it!__ HA!_

He ran as fast as he could down the small trail that led to the massive green gates he had first spotted about 10 minutes ago.

* * *

Isumo was the first to notice the little high-speed, noisy boy heading their way as he screamed of pure joy. He tapped Kotezu lightly at the shoulder, waking him from his stupor. He sat in his chair, face-down on the desk, sleeping soundly on what had been, quite an uneventful day – until now.

"…Wha?" he stirred a little and cracked his eyes open upon hearing the little screaming menace coming ever closer to their resting spot. He opted to sit up when the boy, still screaming insanity's like "We're finally here!" ran past them in a blur of sienna brown hair.

He was still pretty tired, but just couldn't shake the past seconds event that had just occurred. Mind still a little blurred from sleep, he decided to ask.

"What… was that?"

He said it like he still had a hard time believing it. Maybe he was just seeing things; after all, Tsunade-sama _had _been quite relentless with the workload as of late.

"I think it was a kid" Isumo said blankly, he had been tired as well, but this little, very loud ordeal, had surely woken him up, though he was a little annoyed by all the noise.

In the end he shrugged it off and opted not to pay it anymore attention, as two of the village's most prized shinobi just walked by them.

"Oi Sakura!" Kotezu said with a tired smile and a small wave. "Where have you been? We didn't know you had gone on a mission"

Sakura walked up to the two gatekeepers and gave a smile and a wave of her own.

"Hi guys, and sorry, but Tsunade-sichou sent us on a mission a little over a week ago, we just got here" She came closer and hugged the two chuunins and they both blushed crimson. Sakura was not one for too much close contact, so a hug from her was surely a compliment; it meant she cared a lot for them. They had come closer over the years, since Isumo and Kotezu were Tsunade's attainders whenever she needed something practical to be done – whether it'd be cleaning her office, running errands or something else – they would always be on the receiving end of her more obscure orders.

But they loved their job nonetheless, and although they both still liked to go on missions, they revered the quiet life by the gates as well; greeting new travelers and comrades returning from missions of their own.

"Well guys, we better run or else our little Kaito here might be running into trouble really soon – he only just got here" she flashed them a bright smile again.

Kotezu looked at her dumbly, as he tried to blink some of the confusion away. It took him a moment before coming to the conclusion that…

"Wait! You never told me you had a son, who's the lucky guy?" At that moment, Kotezu seemed to finally notice the man by her side as none other than the famous wood-user. His eyes widened at first at the realization and then narrowed in a mischievous stare. His teeth barring in a devious smirk, he drew a little closer to her, whispering in a mocking voice. _"Sakura-chan, I didn't know you and Tenzou-san were __that__ close"_ He gave her a wide grin and stuck out his pinkie.

The next moment he was sent flying across the street, Tenzou barely dodged the flying man, as he landed face first in the dirt, now sporting an ugly bruise on his right chin.

With an angry vein throbbing on her forehead, she dusted off her hands and sent a malicious glare at the remaining gatekeeper.

Isumo squirmed uncomfortably under her fiery gaze; he seriously didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Sakura's famous bone splitting punches.

"S-sorry Sakura-san, we didn't mean any disrespect – I-I didn't have any part in it" he said, as he raised his hands in a pitiful defense, he then pointed furiously at a battered Kotezu, who was still trying to process just how fast that punch had connected with his jawbone. "y-you know Kotezu-kun, sometimes his jokes takes a wrong turn… I-I'm sure he didn't mean any disregard, if you a-and Tenzou-san had planned this, I don't think anyone wou-"

A slim finger was gingerly places over his mouth in a shushing motion.

"Su-su calm down, you guys got it all wrong" she said in a light voice – it seemed to calm him a little, though not quite, but he knew that when she called him that annoyingly cute pet-name she'd named him some time ago, they were at least, on friendly ground with her for the time being. She leaved Tenzou to explain, while she took of in search of the boy.

* * *

Meanwhile Kaito was running further into the village, he looked around him at all the buildings - he had never seen anything like this before. There were lots of shops and restaurants, and more people than he had ever seen in his own hometown. He was so occupied with looking at all the new sights that he missed the fact that he was approaching someone, and fast.

The next second he slammed hard into another body. He closed his eyes when he hit the ground, dropping the little wooden figure he had been carrying all the way here. He lay there on the ground, eyes still tightly closed, when he heard someone's voice.

"Oi! Who the hell are you, and why didn't you watch your step!? BAKA"

He flinched a little, startled at the loud voice booming over him. He cracked his eyes open, only to look straight up at a pair of angry, sky-blue orbs and a mob of spiky, blonde hair.

The next moment his own temperament flared, as he darted up from the ground, standing a couple of feet away and pointing an accusing finger at the loud stranger.

"Why didn't you watch your own step? You're the adult!" he shouted in a defying manner, still pointing at the blonde man standing before him.

Naruto towered over the boy, anger prominent on his face, who was this brat anyway? He still had a short fuse for this kind of mocking, even after all the years of training, he just couldn't let something like this be unfazed by him. He grabbed the kid by the collar and slung him over his shoulder – it was time to teach this boy a lesson.

"Hey, stop! What are you doing!?" he screamed, as he punched and kicked with all the force he could muster.

"You're going to learn how to respect your elders, the hard way kid" A smile and a crinkle in his eyes were present on his whiskered face, as he made his way over to the nearby riverbank.

He hadn't come a long way before he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Naruto! Where the hell are you going with that boy?"

He gasped and gulped, his face beginning to pale a little – he knew that tone of voice, it always meant that he would get the life beaten out of him.

"S-Sakura-chan! What a pleasant surprise" he put his hands up in defense, smiled and sweat-dropped at the same time, desperately hoping that she would wait to pummel him for whatever he had done wrong this time.

"Put that kid down, RIGHT NOW" she growled and clenched her fists for him to see. Sakura walked closer, the vein on her forehead throbbing once again in a display of righteous fury.

She didn't spare him a look as she took the, now crying boy, from him and carried him away.

In her sweetest of voices she said, "Don't cry Kaito-chan, Naruto-kun didn't mean to do bad things… **right?**" She snarled the last word at the blonde, who was now very confused about the whole incident.

"W-wait Sakura-chan! Who is that boy? And why are you protecting him?" He sped up to them, trying to walk along side her, without getting smacked – it was, to say the least, a challenge for his nerves.

"He was rude you know – who ever he is, you should teach him some manners"

She snorted loudly in exchange for his words.

"You should listen to yourself Naruto, if I were to teach Kaito-kun any manners, make sure you come to the class as well, now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to Tenzou – he's worried sick about this little guy."

"But what does Yamato-taicho have to do with that" he said, as he gestured to the boy, who had now fallen asleep in Sakura's arms, apparently he had been tired from travelling so far, and the past hours events had been too much on his tiny body, so much that he had given in to sleep as soon as he stopped crying.

She sighed; obviously Naruto was still dense as ever. The resemblance between this boy and his father was unmistakable – apart from the boy's temper that seemed to flare up and rival Naruto's sometimes. But it might not be anything, she thought – after all, no two persons were ever the same.

"Let's just go Naruto; we need to bring Kaito-kun back to taicho before he starts searching all over Konoha for us"

* * *

It didn't take them long to find him, sitting at one of the roofs near the Hokage tower, scouting the city streets for them.

"Ooooi, Yamato-taicho! Down here!"

Tenzou jerked his head up when he heard Naruto's boisterous voice. There, in one of the main streets of Konoha he saw Naruto and Sakura walking side by side, with Sakura still carrying a sleeping Kaito in her arms.

He jumped down from the roof and landed gracefully in the crowded street, just a few feet away from them.

"Sorry Sakura, I'll take him now, thank you for finding him" he gave Naruto an inquisitive look as he took the boy in his arms. "What are you doing here Naruto? … Not that I'm not glad to see you though"

"Eh Yamato-taicho this kid ran into me earlier, who is he anyway?"

Sakura decided to step in. "Why don't you and Tenzou come home to me Naruto, them I'm sure taicho will be happy to explain" she smiled softly at him, knowing that he couldn't refuse her anyway.

"S-sure Sakura-chan, I'd love too, but I promised to come straight home to Hinata-chan after I filed my mission report." He scratched the back of his neck and gave her a foxy grin; he was already late for that appointment, thanks to his little run-in with this kid earlier.

"Do you think, Hinata would mind us Naruto? This is kind of important to Tenzou"

He put his finger on his chin in thought for a moment, as he weighted the possibility of his wife getting angry at him for being late _and_ bringing over extra people for dinner.

"I don't think so, she haven't seen you guys in weeks, I think she'll be happy to see you all again" he said, as he flashed a brilliant smile and padded Tenzou on the back.

* * *

The walk to the other side of the village wasn't too long for the 3 shinobi, who opted to make good use of the many rooftops of Konoha. As they reached the Hyuga compound they slowed down a bit, and leisurely walked inside. They all placed their sandals at the inside doorstep of the hallway, and walked silently through the corridor.

Naruto walked in the living room first, and apologized furiously to his wife for being late.

"… and then I met Sakura-chan, and she and Yamato-taicho said that they had something important to tell us, so I thought you wouldn't mind having them over for dinner" He rocked a little from side, to side, looking like a child trying to grovel at her feet.

Hinata laughed, and smiled warmly at her husband. She knew he meant no harm in being late, and he had even given her a plausible excuse this time. She bend down and kissed him on the cheek, and he stood up slowly – realizing that his pleas with her had been accepted, and hugged her. While he loved her like there was no tomorrow, he didn't feel like giving any free shows for his friends.

As they let go of each other, she gestured the rest of the group into the living room as well and they sat down on the pillows at the small, low table in the middle of the large, but sparsely furnished room. It was padded with traditional tatami-mats all over the floor, and at the far end of the room, were beautifully painted slide doors to the garden outside, with pictures of forests and waterfalls.

The walls were a pale grey and a few pictures hung on the wall, of the family and friends, and of Naruto and Hinata's wedding ceremony. Lastly, there was a small recess where a great vase containing a beautiful assortment of flowers stood.

They chatted for a long time, Tenzou finally felt like telling them all of what had happened the last two weeks, and he explained how grateful he had been, when Sakura had offered her help with taking care of Kaito.

Speaking of the boy himself, he was busy putting together some old puzzles that Hinata had lying around in the attic. He had just finished his third now, and was starting to feel bored again. He hadn't been listening to what the adults where talking about at all, but was beginning to feel a little lonely. He slowly crawled across the floor to the little table were all the grown-ups had been sitting for hours now, and snaked his way into Tenzou's lap.

Tenzou was a little startled at first, but soon realized what the boy wanted. He was actually surprised to notice, that he didn't feel awkward at all with having the boy sitting there, it felt natural, like it was a natural things to have him this close. He also felt proud that Kaito had accepted this foreigner of a man as his father so fast – he just seemed to believe him unconditionally, and Tenzou decided right then and there, that he would never betray that trust.

Sakura's eyes softened at the boy's display of affection and the acceptance of it by Tenzou. It was odd to see her longtime teammate and captain being the sensitive man she knew he was, deep down under all that pride and stiff social regulations. She was also a little surprised to see that he had adapted to the fact that Kaito liked being close to him – he didn't seem to mind at all and perhaps that was why the boy was so accepting of him too.

She watched them contently as he sat cross-legged and reached over the Kaito from behind, to hand him a kop of tea. The boy giggled a little and made himself comfortable as he sat there in his fathers lap, closest to the edge of the table.

"So Kaito-kun, are you going to the ninja-academy with the other kids?" Hinata asked, she sat next to Naruto and across from Sakura and Tenzou.

"I don't know what the academy is" he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"But you wanted to be a ninja, right? All ninja's here go to the academy when they're your age. It's were everyone learns the basic skills needed to become proper ninja, like us" she smiled at him and giggled a little when his expression turned from confused to pure awe.

"Hinata and Naruto-san are ninja too!? But you're so loud! Aren't ninja supposed to be silent?" he said, as he pointed at Naruto once again. "How did you survive if all your enemies know where you are?"

Naruto didn't speak up right at the moment, and was interrupted when he finally had calmed his temper enough to do so. Instead Hinata and the others began to laugh out loud, and after a few moments of uncontrollable fits of laughter, Hinata finally decided to speak in her husbands place.

"You see Kaito-kun; we all have different ways of fighting our enemies, and we all go on different missions too. Tsunade-sama, our Hokage, decides what kind of missions we go on because she knows that we are all different and she chooses the missions that suits our talents the best."

Kaito was mystified, how could a single person know everyone in the village? This place was huge! But he really wanted to be just as strong as his dad. He thought back to the day in the woods at their camping site by the stream where he had made that huge water dragon. It the most awesome thing he'd ever seen, and he silently hope that one day, he would be just as good at making them.

"Then I'll definitely become a ninja!"

With the brightest of smiles, he punched both hands in the air above him, and almost hit the teacup, that Tenzou had been sipping his tea from.

They all laughed again and continued to talk all through the rest of the evening. When the time came for three of them to get home, Naruto offered to take Kaito to see Iruka at the academy in the morning.

Kaito was bouncing down the now, deserted streets, and Tenzou and Sakura were walking slowly behind him.

"I'm glad things are starting too light up for you taicho, but are you sure you don't want me to let him sleep at my place? Your apartment downtown isn't exactly made for two"

He shrugged a little. "It'll be fine Sakura-chan, but thank you for offering; I don't know what I'd do without your help" His eyes crinkled a little upwards as he smiled at her, he was truly happy that this whole, tragic situation was turning out ok, and right there he realized just hot grateful he really was to her for sacrificing so much of her time to help him, on what had surely been, and still was, one of the biggest trials of his life.

* * *

Aaaaand chapter is finished!

You might want to know why Kaito was called "chan" once, and it's actually very simple.

"chan" was once used as an honorific for both little boys and girls. "chan" actually means to be irresponsible or innocent – like a child. Today "chan" is still used for both genders, but mostly for girls, since the relatively new honorific "kun" is now used for boys only.

If you feel like there are some things in this fic you don't understand (an example would be: "what is 'tatami-mats'?") feel free to ask!


	6. My name is

Hi again everyone, and welcome back to Sparrow! :D

I've been seriously busy these past moths, mostly with recovering from a foot-surgery. I also have to apologize for this very late chapter, since I really wanted to publish it earlier. I've had major problems with this part of the story - it was really a challenge to have you know Kaito a little better, but it'll all come due time. I wanted to get the feeling down on digital paper, but it messed up a lot of times where it just seemed dull or emotionless to me, and I still don't know if I'm satisfied (but that's what I have you reviewers for right?) ^^

Also, I'd like to thank all the loyal people out there who reviews, favs, alerts and reads this story (and likes it!) You're the ones keeping me going on this!

my reviewers (in no order):

XxXtwilightdragonXxX  
Ben's Wife  
dark firefly 16  
Pance

You guys have been here from the very beginning, and that means a lot to me.

* * *

It was dark, when they walked home and Tenzou decided that he and Kaito would take a detour to walk Sakura home before going home themselves.

After 15 minutes of walking down the narrow streets that let to her apartment, the two jounin bid each other goodbye. Kaito ran up and hugged Sakura as hard as he could; he wasn't too keen on departing from her yet.

"Sakura-san, I don't want you to go" He looked down at the ground while pulling a little at his shirt, silently pleading with her to stay.

She knelt down and smiled at him. "Sorry Kaito-kun, I have to sleep in my own bed, but we can see each other tomorrow, ne?"

"But I want to stay with both of you…" he said, sadness apparent in his voice. He shed a small tear and Sakura wiped it away with the sleeve of her own shirt.

"Kaito-kun," she paused, "you're a big boy aren't you?" He looked up at her, a little surprised, and she wiped his face clean again. "Big boys shouldn't cry over little things like this, we will see each other tomorrow, and Naruto has promised us that he would take you to see the academy, so you can become a real ninja, doesn't that sound exiting?"

Slowly his little face lit up in the brightest of smiles and he hugged her fiercely once again.

"Hai, Sakura-san, you'll see us tomorrow!" He ran back to Tenzou, and begged him to go right away, so that they could sleep and come and visit Sakura faster.

Tenzou flashed the last smile of the day at her, "thank you Sakura-chan, as I said before, I don't know what I'd do without you."

They soon disappeared from her sight, and she waited for them to completely disappear before she went inside herself.

_He sure has changed__… I can't say I don't like it though_

_**Are you sure that's not all you like?**_

She blushed a little, and went up to change into her nightgown and went to sleep for the night; trying not to ponder that particular question for long.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tenzou walked down the dusty path, boy in tow and thinking about how he would arrange for two people to sleep at a place where there were only one small bed. Kaito's spirits had been high, and he didn't seem to want to go to bed just yet, but Tenzou silently prayed that it wouldn't be too hard to convince the boy otherwise, after all it had been an extremely long day for both of them and he was practically ready to drop.

They were finally standing at the threshold of the door, and he was having a little difficulty getting to his keys in the bottom of his vest-pocket but they were soon inside.

The small apartment was warm – he liked it that way. There was nothing more he hated than coming home to a cold place, when all he wanted was to relax his aching muscles after a hard day, however, it had been a long time since he had had any time to clean up and the whole place was overflowing with dirty laundry, used dishes and dusty air.

Kaito held his nose and narrowed his eyes, looking around in disgust at the place. "Eeeeeew dad! I'm telling Sakura-san about this, I bet she would _never_ make such a big mess"

Tenzou sweat-dropped.

"Ahahaha, don't worry Kaito-kun, it's not always like this, but sometimes I don't have time to clean up – Hokage-sama sends me on lots of missions you know" He let out a sigh. "Lets clean up the bedroom so we can go to sleep and then I can clean the rest of it tomorrow while you go out with Naruto-kun."

The boy grumbled something he couldn't quite hear, and went inside with him to take out the mountain of laundry that had taken up residence on his bed. They quickly dispersed of it, Tenzou doing most of the work, while Kaito stood in the room for the last part, as not to get in his way. After a few more minutes, Tenzou had changed the sheets as well and prepared a futon next the small bed. He went into the bathroom and changed into a couple of dark-blue sweatpants he used only for sleeping and one of his equally dark sleeveless shirts. He had removed the jaw-guard and now his short, brown hair was even more messy looking. He had tossed the boy one of his own old t-shirts before he had gone to change himself.

Kaito had changed as well, changing into the massive shirt, which looked more like a girl's nightgown on him. He scrounged his little nose and stuck his tongue out when he looked at himself in the tall mirror that decorated the wall to the right from the door, and went over to the large window. He tiptoed and lifted himself up to look out into the dark streets.

"I think we need to get you some new clothes in the morning"

Kaito turned around and took a careful look at the man standing in the door-opening. His dad looked entirely different without that weird piece of amour on his face and then he looked down at the futon as Tenzou walked closer. He looked up again when he saw his father padding the bed.

"I think you should sleep here tonight, and then we can get you a new bed along with those clothes, ne? Kaito-kun"

"'B-But that's yours, I can't sleep in that!" He wanted to protest further, but Tenzou was too tired to hear more of it and he quickly picked up the boy and laid him onto the small single bed.

He couldn't help but smile at the boy. "Please… I know it's not your own, but just for tonight and then I promise we will get you your own bed tomorrow, ok?"

The boy crossed his arms and sat up. Different emotions crossed his face as he looked over to Tenzou. He didn't want to be a burden on people, his mother had always told him not to burden other people unnecessarily and this had been all too much. This man had taken him in without hesitation it seemed, and even his teammate had been there for him when ever he wanted anything or felt sad. He had never known anyone who had ever shown him that sort of kindness before, besides his own mother. It went against everything he had been taught about strangers and there certainly wasn't anyone in his own village, who had fit the profile of unnaturally kind people such as these.

"it's not that…" he sighed, his face seemed different, he had that aura of an adult again, Tenzou noticed. His eyes seemed colder – older even, like many years of experience had been edged into his very core.

_How can he be __six and still give such a look?_

"Why are you doing this dad?"

"hm? What do you mean Kaito-kun?"

He sat a little more upright in the bed, now looking down at Tenzou from the edge, who had laid himself down on the futon bed on his back, staring straight up at his son and feeling a little uneasy by the sudden questioning of his actions.

"I mean _why _did you take me with you? I haven't seen you before and you just came and picked me up and you never looked confused or sad or angry… you just accepted it…why?"

Kaito's eyes widened as he saw the content smile on his father face.

"Why, do you ask?". He looked up more intensely and smiled, crossing his arms behind his head and taking in a deep breath.

"I guess… I'm just happy to have something left to fight for. There are people in this village who doesn't even live to see their own sons and daughters once before they pass away… so I guess you can say that I feel lucky - and honored to have you here - do you understand?"

Kaito leaned further over the bed so his head hovered directly over Tenzou. So this was it? His father was happy to simply have known him. He didn't quite understand it – he was happy to have known his mother, but that was different… wasn't it? He didn't know – wouldn't know, but it didn't really matter. He understood for the very first time the two jounin had crossed his path and spoken to him that things were going to change.

"But aren't you angry or confused or anything at all? … is this it?"

Tenzou gave a small chuckle and closed his eyes. "You sure ask a lot of questions Kaito-kun" He took another deep breath and let it out slowly, then opened his mouth to speak calmly again. "But to answer your questions, then no – I'm not angry, and yes I am very confused – but… it doesn't matter, we'll get through this our own way. For now though, you might want to go to sleep, Naruto will be here at the break of dawn, and he wont take no for an answer, even if you're tired.

"A-alright…dad" He smiled and laid his head on the battered pillow, finally falling asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

thump thump thump

He thought he heard something in the distance

_Maybe it's just a dream_

thump thump thump

The noise slowly intensified and now some sort of screaming could be heard as well, but it still seemed so far away. He turned in the bed, his back now facing the source of the noise, hoping that it would simply go away.

thump thump thump thump thump

**BANG**

"RISE AND SHINE EVERYONE!!!"

Kaito flew up from the bed

_What was THAT!?_

The next second, he was hanging from his arms in the air, someone had picked him up.

He shook his head a couple of times, and his body began to rid itself of its sleep-induced state. When his blurry vision finally cleared, he was starring straight into a pair of sky-blue eyes… again.

"Rise and shine Kaito-kun! Today we go to the academy"

Naruto gave him a toothy smile, as he looked intensely at the young boy.

But it was far too early by Kaito's standards, and the bed seemed to beckon him back to dreamland, when he was sat down once again.

"I don't wanna go", he said simply, giving Naruto what would be a fine mixture of a blank and annoyed look.

Naruto stepped closer, he simply wouldn't take no for an answer, especially not when Yamato-taicho had asked him to get the boy signed up for the academy.

"Come on Kaito-chan, you can't sit in here forever you know, besides Yamato-taicho told me to pick you up today, so he could finish cleaning, and so you could be signed up to the academy to become a real ninja"

His already prominent smirk, inched up a little more, as he said the words he had agreed to, in case this was to happen. He crossed his arms over his chest, and turned to walk out the door.

"But if you want to be a cleaning lady in the future instead of a ninja, you only have to stay and help your dad". He turned on his heel and slowly walked out the door, a wide grin apparent on his face – luckily Kaito couldn't see his face right now, or this whole charade would have fallen to the ground. Not a second later, his leg was held firmly in place by Kaito, who had been running as fast as he could. With an almost frightened expression and a set of pleading eyes, he looked up.

"P-pleeeease Naruto-san, I don't wanna be a cleaning girl!" His face scrounged in disgust at the thought of cleaning, he absolutely hated it. "I can come with you now, then it won't be too late, right?" once again he grinned, the smile reaching ear to ear and eyes pleading even more, to have Naruto give in.

Naruto of course, had expected as much, and made his own grin visible to the boy. He ruffled his already messy brown tresses.

He turned his vision upwards, and cupped his stubby chin between two fingers, clearly over-portraying his thoughts on the matter "Well if you're up for it now let's go see Iruka-sensei, but you have to be sure Kaito-kun, once you become a ninja, it's going to be hard to convince Tsunade-baahchan to become anything else – especially a cleaning lady – we already have too many of those!"

He almost couldn't keep his mirth as the boy visibly shook with disgust. "I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANNA BE A CLEANING GIRL!"

"Well then, it's settled" he said, in a cheery tune, as he grabbed the boy and took off in a flash, leaving Tenzou to clean up the rest of the mess left.

_I'm glad he's a little simpleminded… I don't know what I would've done to persuade him if he had caught on to that little act… being gifted from the start isn't always the best thing_, Naruto thought to himself as he was quickly reminded of his own years of youth.

Tenzou began cleaning out the rest of the apartment, disposing of all the accumulated garbage, and cleaning everything from head to toe; it hadn't taken long since the apartment was small, but he was starting to feel bored and tired all the same. Damn he wanted to just take a lazy walk in the sun filled streets, maybe get something to eat, he hadn't had any breakfast yet and his stomach was starting to protest loudly from the lack of food. He decided that he was done with the cleaning, and made up his mind to go and get something to eat before he went to talk to Tsunade-sama.

'_I need to cash in that extra money; now that I promised Kaito-kun that we'd get him some new things'._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, in the other part of town, Kaito and Naruto were heading off to Iruka. They both ran as fast as they could and Naruto was thinking a little to himself. Kaito was actually able to keep up with his own pace and it amazed him, though he quickly told himself, that it would only be because he might unconsciously be slowing down to help the boy keep up…but still… he seemed tired, yes, but even so he kept it going. Naruto had wanted to test the boy a little – just to see if he was even fit for the academy now, if not – he would still have a few years to polish his physique and learn some basic movement skills. Though the kid seemed to posses a lot more stamina for a normal child of his age, it didn't seem to actually occur to him that he was a little special in that area. _He reminds me of myself, _he thought, as he watched the small body beside him struggle a little more to catch up now.

"Keep it up, we're almost there!" he shouted, and sped up to leave Kaito behind.

"H-heeey, wait for me!"

Kaito sped up as well, knowing that he wouldn't be a ninja if he didn't get to the academy. Although he didn't really know all that much about being shinobi, his mom had been one too and if anything, he wanted to make her proud by following her footsteps.

Fatigue had slowly been eating away at him, and he felt like he was ready to drop when he suddenly bumped into his blond guardian for the day.

He crashed into Narutos back, head first and dropped to the ground.

"Ouch, that hurt!" he rubbed his forehead where he was starting to form a bruise from the crash-in.

Naruto had his back to him, but he could see the mans shoulders shaking, and one hand trying to stiff the fit of snorting laughter. Naruto finally turned around, a mighty grin plastered on his face and a finger pointing at Kaito.

"You should really watch where you're going Kaito_-chan - _are you sure you're ready for the academy if you keep falling over people like that?"

The boy's fists shook anger, and his face got red in an instant. In a mixture of embarrassment and anger he glared daggers at whiskered nin, who was near tears and still smiling widely, while trying to contain his own mirth.

With eyes that would turn red if they could, and a face to match, he all but exploded in Naruto's face.

"STOP IT! Stop saying that! I'll be the best ninja ever – even better that you!" he shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at him and raising his other fist in front of his face to punctuate his anger.

He stood there in that position for some time, still panting heavily from the running and adrenaline coursing through his small body. After a few more moments he lowered his head and walked past Naruto.

"Get out of my way, I'll find the academy without you, you stupid adult"

As Kaito walked past him uttering those hateful words, he stood there shocked. Never had he heard anything like that, it was almost as if the kid never understood that this whole deal was just a friendly joke. Why was he so mad? As Naruto went over the details of what had just occurred, he thought back to a conversation he and Sakura had had earlier.

[flashback]

_Sakura had just walked into her apartment, feeling tired both mentally and physically from the mission. She had just put on some night-clothes, and flopped down in her chair for a quick reading, when someone tapped at her window._

_She opened, and Naruto jumped in. _

"_Thanks, Sakura-chan" he said, as he jumped past her._

"_I should have know it was you…the only other people who gets to make their entry from my window are Kakashi-sensei and taicho, and they're much more silent than you ever were, Naruto you're still as noisy as ever."_

_She padded him playfully on the shoulder, trying to emphasize that he still had a lot to learn about stealth._

_He groaned loudly, "Yeah yeah I knoooow, please don't bug me about it Sakura-chan" _

"_Anyway" he paused momentarily as he sat down on the floor, "I came to ask you a couple of things about Kaito-kun…"_

_After an hour of talking back an forth, he stood up again, ready to make his exit when Sakura stopped him. _

"_One more thing Naruto – he has this…complex I think. It seems like he doesn't tolerate injustice very well, he gets either extremely angry or very sad when people subject him to various forms of injustice."_

_Naruto cocked an eyebrow, and turned around to face her again. "So… he doesn't like to be judged huh? That's something I remember from my own childhood…but why did you tell me this Sakura-chan?" _

_She sighed at his obliviousness. "Because he'll just end up getting unfocused if he lets his temper get away with him like that…it could cost him his life one day, and unlike SOMEONE I know, he doesn't have a demon to help him out in a pinch" she said, in her matter-of-fact voice._

_Naruto smiled at her and turned around again, just before he jumped down he uttered something that had her thinking twice about her own thoughts…_

"_Heh, Sakura-chan…you sound like a mother"_

[end of flashback]

"You were right… Sakura-chan" he muttered to himself, as he leisurely walked down the dusty dirt road, only to find Kaito sitting outside the academy, obviously waiting for him.

"See! I found it without your stupid help!" he took a defiant stance as Naruto came closer.

Naruto walked up to him and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah whatever kid…now let's go see Iruka-sensei" he said, as he opened the front door to the academy.

Inside, they found his old teacher, hunched between what seemed like mountains of paper, vigorously scribbling down grades and comments on some of the students written assignments.

He only looked up when Naruto had his face mere inches from his own. He was a little startled at first, not normally seeing the blond jounin around academy grounds, but rather when he came home from mission after mission, in mangled clothing for Hinata to either sew back into one piece, or discard fully because of the abused state they were in.

"Ah! Naruto-kun it's good to see you again" he smiled kindly, though still a little confused by his old student showing up here of all places. "So… what are you doing here? Do you need me for something?"

Naruto slowly removed the stack of papers revealing a small boy who had been waiting patiently for the older man to respond. "Actually… Iruka-sensei… I'd like to sign up Kaito-kun here for the academy; his dad asked me if I'd help him over here today, so could you do me that favor?"

Iruka looked down puzzled at the boy, he knew many of the children in Konoha but he was sure he hadn't seen this boy around before.  
"And who's your father little guy? I need to write that down when signing you up" His features crinkled up in a warm smile again, as he waited for the boy reply. He had always loved children, and now when he had gotten a little older since Narutos days as a student, he still held the same passion to help graduate new shinobi, and to be a part of the delicate system that Konoha had build up over the first thirty years of its existence.

"His name is Tenzou…but Naruto-san and Sakura-san calls him taicho"

It was Iruka's turn to cock an eyebrow.

"Is that so…I didn't know he had a son?"

Iruka was just about to ask another question about the subject, when Naruto elbowed his old sensei, giving him a look that told him to shut it for now. Iruka immediately took the hint, and calmly went on to write Kaito's name down for registration.

When he was just about finished writing down all the details, he looked up at the boy again. There was definitely a clear resemblance to Naruto's captain when he looked a little closer. The boy had inherited his brown hair, though it seemed to be tainted by a little red. He had some of the same square features, mainly represented in his face. He was small in stature, but a little more filled out, muscle-wise, than most other children, which again gave him those square features. He briefly realized that he was actually looking forward to see the son of the famous wood-user go through the very same school his father attended years ago.

"I need your last-name as well, Kaito-kun" he said, as he motioned for the boy to go ahead.

"Suzume – My name is Suzume, Kaito"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another chapter finished! I canøt belive that this story is nearing it's 20.000 words mark!? I've never in my life, written something this long.

The next chapter won't be due until January/Febuary 09, though I've already started writing it. If all goes well, I won't get any blocks this time, and it'll come out faster, but I can't promise. Also, you might realize that the story is progressing slowly, and there's a reason for that - however, there will be a time leap very soon.

Here's something to ponder:  
What's with the attitude in the last bit Kaito? ... is this your true personality?

Lastly, I'd reeeeeaaaaly like to know if you have any great ideas for this story - please don't hesitate to write in the review about it, or PM me. many things are happening in this part of the story, and it's only just begun, but it would be nice if you had some ideas for the future :)

Take care! ~ Pip  
(guess away all you want :P )


	7. Authours notice

Hi guys,

I'm so sorry you all have to wait so long for the continuation of this story. I've had a major block regarding it. The block was so severe that I had to put the story away completely and even begin to write on another before I finally came to where I could even write this to you.

I have decided to continue this work in a couple of weeks, when I'm done packing my home in cardboard boxes (moving in a short time).

So many things has happened since last year and there's still so much for me to finish before I can clear my mind and re-fokus on this lovely hobby : )

I hope you all understand, and will continue to read this story when I finally get down to writing on it again.

Hugs to all of you, you've been awesome and you've stuck with me 'till now and that's more than an amateur like me could hope for.


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